CHICAGO (CBS) — A new store has opened in Little Village, but not everyone is happy. But a “ni una gota” campaign, which means “don’t take a drop,” is urging locals to stay away from the new Starbucks that opened in Little Village.
Community leaders who have fought hard for the area’s small businesses said the giant’s presence doesn’t fit with the local culture or the fabric of the community.
This week saw the grand opening of a new Starbucks store at the discount mall shopping center, the corporate giant standing out among a population of mostly Mexican-American neighborhoods filled with mostly family-owned businesses.
Some activist groups, such as the Little Village Community Council, see Starbucks’ expansion into the shopping district as a threat to other cafes and eateries that have deep ties to the local culture and economy.
They want Starbucks to pay a livable wage of $20 to $25 an hour, hire only local residents, and operate the Little Village store as a non-profit restaurant with profits going back into the community.
Victor Garcia, owner of the nearby Azucar cafe, said Starbucks would do more harm than good to the neighborhood.
“We’re very simple people. We like coffee. We like elote. We like tamales. And now here comes this big coffee brand that doesn’t understand us or the traditions of this region,” Garcia said.
“We’re worried that this sends a message of gentrification, that real estate agents will say, ‘Buy this house and you’ll have a Starbucks a block away,’ so we’re really worried that this area will become gentrified,” resident Baltazar Enriquez said.
A Starbucks spokesperson said the company is doing outreach on behalf of the Little Village Starbucks, that nine of the Little Village store’s 15 employees are from the neighborhood, and that the store has a dedicated space for community gatherings.